Many moons ago there was a little machine that dominated the rooms of young boys (and girls although predominantly male) named the ZX Spectrum; from this little machine came the dreams of a generation. Every conceivable childhood fantasy could be lived out without ever leaving the comfort of their bedrooms; with the peace of mind that it’s only a game.

For those that created and programmed the games for the ZX Spectrum, a life of riches awaited. Prior to the revolution and explosion in computer software it would have been inconceivable for an individual aged only 23 to become a millionaire on the back of a legitimate business. This was the case for Mark Butler one of the key founders of the software company Imagine. However this was short lived and Mark eventually went to work freelance with other core members of the Imagine team for one of his company’s closest rivals, Ocean Software.

Thanks to the wonderful world of the web a documentary that first appeared in 1984 on BBC 2 shows this demise from multimillionaire to nothing as it happened. Fortunately for the documentary makers, Imagine Software and Ocean Software where both going head to head in an attempt to secure the Christmas number one in the software charts. Imagine with its young minded entrepreneur way of business Attempting to re-write the rule book with its daring game Bandersnatch, which was to include additional hardware to support the 48K Spectrum. Never released on the Spectrum Bandersnatch was finally renamed and sold as Brataccas on the more powerful Atari ST, Amiga and Macintosh Computers.

Imagine’s exciting and new approach to software was up against against the old head of Ocean’s management, who opted for a safe sequel to its previous years hit Hunchback.

An absolute must for any retro gamer and just as important for businesses that ride the current financial waves of the internet.

See the show Commercial Breaks